Process of preserving food substances.



WILLIAM H. ALLEN, or nnr'nor'r, MICHIGAN.

PROCESS E PRESERVING FOOD SUBSTANCES.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ALLEN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the countyof Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Processof Preserving Food Substances, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to the process of preserving food substances,such as fruit pulps and juices, vegetable pulps and juices, finelydivided vegetable substances, and

grated meats, but more particularly tomato pulp and apple pulp; and itsobject is the introduction of a harmless antiseptic material into thefood substances which can be so completely altered that no trace of theoriginal antiseptic material will remain in the food substance and noinjurious product will result from such change of the antisepticmaterial.

- This process is restricted to the preservation of such foods as arenot aflected in a merchantable way by the addition of common salt.

Tomato catsup is usually made by distintegrating the fruit to eliminatethe skins and seeds. The pulp is then heated to kill the germs ofputrefaction and fermentation, after which the pulp, while still hot, isplaced in barrels or other containers. Such sterilization is very oftenineffective for the reason that the spores of some germs remain aliveand when conditions become favorable, develop and re-infect the entiremass, resulting in complete loss of the contents of the container. Suchattempts at sterilization are made at country stations where the cropsare raised and where the work must necessarily be performed by workmenof limited skill.

The present process consists in adding to the fruit, vegetable or meatpulp an amount of arsenic-free hydrochloric acid equaling aboutfour-tenths of 'one per cent. of the material to be treated, whichamount is about twice the quantity of hydrochloric acid present in thegastric juice in the human stomach, but this proportion may vary fromone "per cent. to one-tenth of one per cent, depending upon the materialtreated. This proportion of hydrochloric acid will inhibit all growthsin the material to be preserved Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 11, 1913. Serial No. 784,093.

Patented May 26, 191 1.

and render it practically sterile, and keep it sterile for a long periodof time. When the preserved material is to be further treated for thepreparation of marketable food iroducts, a sufiicient amount ofarsenic-free sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate is added tocompletely neutralize the acid.

The material then has only a slight ad mixture of common salt, theresult of the above reaction, the added water being negligible and "thecarbon dioxid passing off freely. The material can then be concentratedor mixed with more salt, or with vinegar, spices or other condiments.

The acid could be neutralized by any other alkaline substance, such ascalcium carbonate or potassium carbonate, but this is not desirable asthe resultant compounds are objectionable.

I claim: a

1. The addition of a suflicient amount of hydrochloric acid to avegetable pulp to render the same sterile, and the further addition of acarbonate of sodium to neutralize the acid when the pulp-is to befurther pre- .when the pulp is to be further prepared,

thereby changing all the hydrochloric acid and so much of the sodiumsalt as is necessary to neutralize the acid into common salt.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

WM. J. LONGSTAFF, Huoo W. KREINBRING.

